Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Recreational campfires even on private property are prohibited starting tomorrow in unincorporated Lewis County, given the ongoing and worsening dry conditions.

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If you want to roast marshmallows out of doors, you can still do that as long as it takes place inside a propane or charcoal barbecuer that has a lid.

The county Board of Commissioners put outdoor burning restrictions in place in mid-June, given the substantial fire danger.

Today they issued the stricter rule and will leave it in place until further notice. It begins right after midnight tonight.

“The Lewis County fire marshal, in coordination with the chiefs of local fire districts, strongly urge all county residents and property owners to be attentive to the conditions of their properties through proactive fire prevention measures,”  Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier stated in a news release.

The board of commissioners have authority over areas in Lewis County that are outside any city limits and not part of any state or federal lands.

The state Department of Natural Resources put similar restrictions in place at the end of June on all state-owned lands.

DNR personnel have been dispatched to at least two local brush fires in recent days, taking over from local fire departments on larger grass, brush and timber fires.

As of last Friday, 655 wildfires had ignited on the 13 million acres DNR protects across the state. By this date in 2014, the worst wildfire season in state history, there had been 455 fires.

For further information, Napier can be reached at 360-740-1146.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A bit of smoke is still rising from the approximately 12-acre wild fire southeast of Chehalis, and crews continue making progress extinguishing all of it.

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015

“It’s completely lined and we consider it 100 percent contained at this point,” Chuck Turley, assistant manager of the Pacific Cascade Region of the state Department of Natural Resources said this morning

Firefighters from numerous agencies responded Tuesday afternoon to the blaze roughly a half mile north of the intersection of Centralia-Alpha Road and North Fork Road.

The cause is as-yet unknown, but crews put out fires twice last week on the same property.

Turley expected DNR personnel could be working three or even four more days on this.

“The vegetation is really thick,” he said. “It’s going to require people on the ground digging it out.”

Turley said that’s one difference between wild fires on the east side of the mountains and the west side of the mountains.
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For background, read “Chehalis area wildfire knocked down but not contained” from Wednesday August 5, 2015, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 52-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a single-vehicle accident yesterday evening in Mineral, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened about 7:15 p.m. on the 700 block of Mineral Creek Road, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said this morning.

The woman was traveling northbound and it appeared she had been going too fast at a right sweeping curve, according to Brown. Her 1997 Harley Davidson left the road, went through a barbed wire fence and came to rest in an open field, Brown said.

The 52-year-old Mineral woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She wasn’t wearing a helmet, according to the sheriff’s office.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said it’s not clear exactly what caused a baby to be ejected from the car in the wreck that left its driver dead on Sunday evening south of Chehalis.

Jackson Highway, Chehalis

Deputies and firefighters responded just before 9:45 p.m. to the single-vehicle collision along the 3100 block of Jackson Highway.

Kelsie Gonzalez, 31, of Chehalis, was dead at the scene and her infant passenger was found outside of the car.

Newaukum Valley Fire and Rescue Firefighter Brad Bozarth said the car hit a fence, a parked van and couple of trees before coming to rest against another tree, in someone’s yard.

The sheriff’s office’s initial information was Gonzalez was traveling southbound at a high rate of speed, and went airborne after striking a ditch.

Sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen said the 1-year-old’s car seat was still inside the 1990 Acura and secured in the car, but the straps which would have been holding the baby to its car seat were not fastened.

“Based on this it is unclear where the child was and how the exact ejection of the child occurred,” Breen indicated.

He said the baby was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where it was still undergoing treatment the following morning. He didn’t know if the child was a girl or a boy.

Breen said he expected to know more by Friday, as the investigating deputy would be finishing the report after days off.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office said Gonzalez died from internal injuries from the impact.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Washington State Patrol is warning the public they believe their headquarters’ telephone has been compromised.

The state patrol says they’ve received 30 complaints from citizens saying they were phoned by someone who identified themselves as a trooper.

The apparent trooper impersonator has accused those who’ve answered the calls of various violations including outstanding warrants, unpaid tickets, and unpaid school taxes, according to state patrol Capt. Monica Alexander.

The state patrol does not call people to collect fines or advise of such things, according to Alexander.

She says they are currently working to remedy the problem and advises the public if they get such a call to do the following:

• Do not answer any questions
• Do not agree to pay any fines
• Do not share any personal information
• Hang up the telephone